Electroplating

Electroplating is the process of using an electrical direct current to coat an electrically conductive object with a thin layer of metal. EPi offers a variety of high-quality electroplating processes that are ideal for all types of metal finishers. Learn More

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Cleaners

All metals need to be cleaned prior to electroplating, blackening, or finishing. Metalworking fluids and carbonaceous smut need to be removed in a soak, spray, electroclean, or ultrasonic cleaning. A properly cleaned part will have excellent adhesion and be brighter, blacker, and smut-free. Learn More

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Acid Salts

Dry-powdered and liquid acid salts are specifically formulated for removing rust, scale oxides, stains, and smut from a variety of metal surfaces. Acid salts are also used to activate metal surfaces for further finishing. Learn More

Manufacturing; is it Thriving in Your Region?

Despite other sectors of business going on a decline since 2011, the vast majority of factory jobs have actually "seen an uptick in industrial employment." (Kotkin 2017)

In his June 2017 article titled "Where Manufacturing Is Thriving In The U.S.," Joel Kotkin expresses the changes that have undergone the manufacturing world within the last few years. "The industrial sector's productivity gains since 2001 [are] almost twice as much as the economy-wide average, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics…and it has a far higher multiplier effect (the boost it provides to local job and wealth creation) than virtually any sector." (Kotkin 2017)

Joel Kotkin and Mike Shires analyzed the employment in manufacturing, over time, and looked at trends from as far back as 2005. The research was thorough and accounted for variables such as persistence and momentum. They found that almost every top-region for manufacturing job growth was found in red states--the first and foremost in growth coming from the Louisville-Jefferson County between Kentucky and Indiana. The article says that this region "expanded 30.2% to a total of 83,300 jobs, led by a resurgent auto industry that accounts for 27,000 jobs in the area." (Kotkin 2017)

Blue states, on the other hand, saw a 17.6% gain in manufacturing jobs during 2011-2016, for a total of 25,800 jobs. Rather than auto sales in Kentucky/Indiana, these regions feature steam factories, gas turbines, and everything in between--"an impressive and diverse collection of cutting-edge industries." (Kotkin 2017)

It's not a picnic all across the US, however. Certain areas such as the Chicago-Arlington-Naperville and Los Angeles-Glendale-Long Beach region have lost some of their industrial jobs since 2011. "Manufacturing in the city of Broad Shoulders has slumped from just under a million jobs in 1966…to 281,000 today." (Kotkin)= 2017)

To read more detail about which regions have grown, which have shrunk, and what the recent presidential election might have to do with these trends, view the full article here: